Jab warning

Pregnant women and children should avoid vaccines containing trace amounts of mercury, a US panel of experts has warned. They say it is "biologically plausible" that thimerosol, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines, could cause developmental disorders.

While the US began to phase out mercury in childhood vaccines two years ago, it has not forced hospitals to replace their existing stocks. The preservative is still used in the flu vaccine and some eye drops and nasal sprays, says the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

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